Monday, 24 September 2012

OK so I know the time for new potatoes have passed so you are probably wondering where this post came from right out of the blue like this. Well if you remember I have whined a bit about taste and textures of potatoes I have grown in the past so this year I grew a selection in order to try and find 'My' perfect new potatoes and in this post I will give you my findings.Taste and texture preferences come down to each individual and I don't think I can describe the taste I like but I love a waxy texture with a yellow/white skin and flesh.I like my new potatoes to taste great boiled either hot or cold and I also like to be able to slice them once cooked and yet they still hold together nicely so as to make potato salads or even have the luxury of frying them.Also when growing potatoes soil is a huge factor. I have quite a high clay content soil which holds the moisture quite well...I have no idea of the lime or ph content though as I have never done these sorts of tests.Basically what I am trying to tell you here is that my findings are based on my soil and my tastes so although you may want to give them a try from my findings you may not get the same results!!I broke the scoring system down into four categories, yield, taste, texture and size. Each of these were marked out of 5 so the overall score is out of 20.

Yield 3Texture 4Taste 3Size 4

Overall score 14

Yield 4Texture 3Taste 3Size 3

Overall score 13

Yield 4Texture 5Taste 5 Size 4Overall score 18

Yield 2Texture 1Taste 2Size 3

Overall score 8

Yield 4Texture 4 Taste 4Size 4

Overall score 16

Yield 2Texture 4Taste 5Size 4

Overall score 15

So there you have my findings. There were a three varieties that we really liked the taste of but the best for texture was fortunately also the one that had the best yield. This wasn't just my decision...I got input form all of the family as although I grow them I am not the only one that eats them so I wanted a good all rounder that everybody was happy with.I am also happy in the fact that I did not find any pests on the highest scoring and so net year the only potatoes I will grow will be the Nicola. The most uncanny thing it this isn't even a potato that I bought but 5 tubers I got as a freebie from T&M!!So which are you favourites new potatoes?? Whether you have grown them yourself or bought them in store I would love to know which ones you go for !!.

18 comments:

It's funny how people's findings can be so different. I've grown your lowest scoring, Pentland Javelin, before and thought they were really good. I grew a few of your highest scoring, Nicola, this year and wasn't impressed. The two favourites I've grown so far are Arran Pilot and Sharpes Express. Saying that, if I tasted potatoes you'd grown, I'd probably have a different opinion because, as you say, even the soil they're grown in can make a difference to the taste.

It may be risky putting all your faith in one variety next year. We grow a mix of varieties as if the weather conditions are very different nexy year a different variety may be best. Must say though we grow Nicola every year and like it.

I hear what you're saying Sue but if i take that into account then would I grow the ones that I didn't like in the hopes that if the weather was different next year the taste was different..or would I grow something different entirely?? This is the first year I have ever grown a selection...before I have only ever grown one sort and not been happy with them so for now I will just try Nicola next year and see how things go.

I usually find Vivaldi to be the best salad potato. I only grew main crop this year as I didn't get the plot until late January and of course had to dig it all over. Mum loved the Desiree and I have no idea which whites I grew as they were from a bought bag that had started to sprout, so I just planted them. We had a bit of blight but the Desiree stood up to that quite well and I sprayed with Bordeau Mix. If you have buckets or old bins you can plant some now, keeping them frost free, and they will be ready for X-mas.

I like the 3rd picture (nicola). It almost look like the gold potato here in US. This year is my very time planting them, bought from local grocery store...lol. I have to wait and see how they turn out for me. I also planted red potatoes.

I hope your potatoes grow well....They are one of the easier things to get going and there is always an anticipation to them as although they may look good or bad above the ground you never quite know what you are going to find once you start digging!!

Dear Tanya, I must praise the thought and effort you put into this taste test chart. You are wonderful. I like the third potato. It looks like the one I buy at the grocery. Blessings dear. Catherine xo